The invention relates to a debarking tool adapted for rotary debarking machines which may be of the type described in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,787,304 and 2,857,945, for instance. In the common way, the tool comprises a shaft adapted to be rotatably carried by a hollow rotor in parallel to the axis thereof, an arm extending substantially radially from said shaft and a debarking edge provided at the free end of the arm.
Generally, several debarking tools are mounted around the central opening of the rotor, and in their inoperative positions they extend about radially inwards with the cutting edges located close to the axis of the rotor. When the rotor rotates and a log is fed onto the rotor inlet, the fore end of the log hits the tool arms and forces them to rotate in opening direction against the action of resilient means. Hereby the cutting edges of the tools are caused to climb up on the log surfaces which has to be debarked.